Wind energy

Wind power is currently the cheapest source of large-scale renewable energy. It involves generating electricity from the naturally occurring power of the wind.

Wind turbines capture wind energy within the area swept by their blades. They produce a power output proportional to the air density and the wind speed cubed. The spinning blades drive an electrical generator that produces electricity for export to the grid.

Wind energy in Australia: 2016 in focus

Starfish Hill Wind Farm, South Australia

In 2016, Australia's wind farms produced 30.8 per cent of the country's clean energy and supplied 5.3 per cent of Australia's overall electricity during the year.

Five wind farms became operational in 2016, adding 44 turbines and just under 140 MW of generating capacity. These additional projects took the Australian wind industry to a total of 79 wind farms with a combined capacity of 4327 MW, made up of 2106 turbines. These figures place Australia 17th in the world for wind power.

Many states and territories have recognised the regional investment opportunities that wind energy offers, introducing a variety of measures to capture a slice of the pie.

The ACT Government conducted its final reverse wind auction in 2016, which will help it deliver Australia's most ambitious renewable energy target of 100 per cent by 2020.

The future of wind energy in Australia

Wind power is the lowest cost renewable energy technology that can be rolled out on a large scale. The national Renewable Energy Target provides an incentive to build the lowest cost renewable energy projects, meaning that wind power is likely to be a key contributing technology supporting the target this decade. Australia's wind energy sector will deliver thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in investment.

Technological advances in the sector mean that wind turbines are now larger, more efficient and make use of intelligent technology. Rotor diameters and hub heights have increased to capture more energy per turbine. The maturing technology means that fewer turbines will be needed to produce the same energy, and wind farms will have increasingly sophisticated adaptive capability.